Since 1975, Kuumbwa Jazz has been celebrating creativity through our renowned concert presentations and acclaimed music education programs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced profound disruption to our programmatic offerings, though we have pivoted our operations to modify existing programs and create new initiatives, to continue to achieve our mission. In a typical year, Kuumbwa presents over 130 concerts, setting the stage for artists and audiences to commune with each other in a forum honoring imagination, improvisation, and respect. We engage musicians of all ages with educational opportunities, including our Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, Summer Jazz Camp, Artists in the Schools program, Master Class series, and student ticket offerings. Many of these education initiatives have now been modified to suit a virtual format, accompanying our weekly virtual performance series Mondays with Kuumbwa. Kuumbwa (pronounced “koo-um-baa”) stems from the Swahili word meaning “to create,” and in that spirit we present a diverse range of artistic and educational programming, made possible by our team of staff, volunteers and trustees, as well as by our audience members, participants, donors, and supporters. In 2020, Kuumbwa Jazz proudly celebrated our 45th anniversary of serving our community.